Final approval for Little Otter Creek Lake

After nearly 25 years of planning, design, reviews and permitting, the Little Otter Creek Lake has been approved by all the agencies involved to move forward to begin construction. The contractor bidding process will begin this fall to prepare for the construction of the 344-acre multipurpose reservoir.

The primary purpose of the Little Otter Creek Lake is to provide a source of drinking water to communities in Caldwell County and surrounding areas, with the secondary purpose of providing flood control and recreational opportunities such as fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, biking, and the enjoyment of nature.

Construction plans have been completed and approved and the land for the lake has been acquired. The construction of the lake project has proceeded much slower than originally planned but is on schedule for similar projects of this size.

The Little Otter Creek Lake will be the first water supply lake that the Corps of Engineers has approved in over 25 years in Missouri. Mozingo Lake in Nodaway County was the last community lake to be approved and was built in the early 1990s. That lake took over 20 years for approval and construction. The permitting requirements are much more stringent now.

The federal government has committed over 16 million dollars and over 5.5 million from the state and local government toward the lake project. The local citizens of Caldwell County overwhelmingly passed a ½ cent county sales tax in 2004 for the lake and have contributed over four million dollars of local tax money to date. Most of those funds have been used for land acquisition, surveys, permitting and other preliminary activities. The state of Missouri has also provided financial support and assistance from the Department of Natural Resources as well as several other state agencies.

Plans are to start land clearing of the pool area this winter. Construction of the dam and reservoir will begin next summer. As part of the permit approval, in conjunction with the lake construction, five low water crossings will be removed and replaced with span structure bridges as part of the mitigation requirements.

Other mitigation requirements include purchasing stream credits and wetland credits along with riparian plantings on some of the county owned lake property. It is estimated that clearing and construction will take approximately two years. Based on average rainfall, it may take up to two years for the lake to fill. The end is in sight and the dream of the Little Otter Creek Lake is becoming a reality.

The Little Otter Creek Lake is to be located approximately 3 miles east of Hamilton on the south side of Highway 36. Additional plans are being developed in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Conservation and other agencies for future land use and recreational opportunities around the lake.

The Caldwell County Commission would like to thank all the individuals and agencies that have supported this project. Caldwell County Commission meetings and Little Otter Creek lake project meetings are open to the public. For more information, contact the Caldwell County Commission at 816-586-2571 or visit the county website at https://www.caldwellco.missouri.org.